ae606@freenet.carleton.ca (Victoria Edwards)
Why is My Child Gay?
PFLAG surveyed 11 scientists in 1988. Most of the scientists
surveyed agree that:
* The exact cause of heterosexuality & homosexuality are unknown
* Homosexuality & heterosexuality are likely to be the result of an
interaction of several different factors, including genetics,
hormonal & environmental factors.
* Psychological & social influences alone cannot cause
homosexuality
* A biological (genetic, hormonal, neurological, other)
predisposition to ward a homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual
orientation is present in birth in all boys & girls.
* None of the contributing factors alone can cause homosexuality
* Sexual orientation cannot be changed permanently through therapy
Why ponder the questions?
Why is my child gay? What causes one child to be homosexual &
another child from the same parents to be heterosexual?
Some parents may say: "What is, will be. Why analyze facts we
cannot change?" Others, because of natural curiosity, or as a means
of coping with the fact that their child is gay in a heterosexual
society - seek to explore the origins, prevalence & history of male
homosexuality or lesbianism before they can accept their child`s
homosexuality or bisexuality as a reality.
Kinsey Scale
Current estimates, first advanced by Dr. Alfred Kinsey, indicate
that about 10 % of the population is gay. This statistic is
believed to be roughly the same all over the world, in all times,
cultures & climates. Feelings of same-gender attraction usually
appear to be affectional as well as physical.
In the late 1940`s Dr. Kinsey developed the now widely accepted
Kinsey scale, which illustrated that people are not either gay or
straight by that many are in-between. In other words, many men &
women`s sexual orientation shows different degrees of bisexuality.
Kinsey`s research showed that homosexuality & heterosexuality are
not absolute independent phenomena but the two are bridged by a
large bisexual segment of the population that harbours different
degrees of bisexuality.
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_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
0 2 3 4 5 6
Category zero includes all people who are exclusively heterosexual
& report no homosexual experience or attraction. Category 1
includes those who are predominantly heterosexual, with only
incidental homosexual experience or attraction. Group 2 includes
those who are predominantly heterosexual but have more than
incidental homosexual experience or attraction. group 3 represents
people with equal amounts of homosexual & heterosexual experience
or attraction. Group 4 are individuals who are predominantly
homosexual, but with incidental heterosexual experience or
attraction. group 6 represents whose who are exclusively homosexual
in experience or attraction.
Until the early 1970's the study of homosexuality remained mostly
in the domains of psychiatry. Different theories about the origins
of homosexuality were advanced. Most of the theories associated
homosexuality with psychopathology, caused by faulty upbringing,
which included a domineering mother, a detached father or both.
Inaccurate as this assumption was, it was not surprising because
psychiatrists obtained their data only from people in therapy who
had mental or emotional problems. In 1972 & 73 the American
Psychiatric Assoc. deleted homosexuality as a disease from their
diagnostic handbooks.
The term "sexual preference" was introduced in the 1970's to
correct the earlier concept that homosexuality was a disease or
deviation. After 1982, as more scientists found evidence that
homosexuality & heterosexuality may not be a matter of free choice,
the term "sexual orientation" emerged & is commonly used today.
Most readers will observe a discouraging lack of data on lesbianism
& its origins. Few studies were conducted about the origins of
female homosexuality prior to the s because - through the centuries
- male homosexuality has been more visible, & less well tolerated
than lesbianism.
Discussion
Sexual orientation is not a matter of choice - how one acts
sexually is a matter of choice.
If we accept the theory of biological predisposition, what happens
when scientists prove that homosexuality is genetically transferred
or caused by something that happened to the mother during
pregnancy? Would that place a new burden of guilt on parents of
lesbians & gays?
No. Guilt implies responsibility for a negative result.
Homosexuality is not a negative phenomenon. like heterosexuality,
homosexuality is a natural aspect of one`s personality, essential
towards a full, productive life. Men & women, gay & non-gay - who
ignore or deny their inherent sexual feelings may deprive
themselves of much happiness in life.
Homosexuality has existed for thousands of years. When comparing
different societies, it appears that homosexuality is not a problem
unless their citizens make it one through prejudice & restrictive
laws. A society that treats its homosexuals as less than equal does
a great injustice to many of its finest citizens as well as to
itself. Such a society will continue to face many self-imposed
conflicts, especially as science gradually clarifies the origins of
homosexuality.
Being lesbian or gay is part of one`s total personality - like
being athletic, artistic, or left-handed - a personality moulded
since conception by genetic, prenatal, psychological & cultural
factors. Through their unique characteristics, gays & lesbians add
a special diversity to the rich fabric of human life, as (in the
words of Dr. John Money) "did Michelangelo, Leonardo d Vinci,
Tchaikovsky, Oscar Wilde, & thousands of other artists, scientists,
politicians, lawyers, physicians, mathematicians & others of
genius, whose being gay was inherent to their achievements"
About Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
The first PFLAG group was established in 1973 in New York. There
are over 200 chapters in the U.S. Groups also exist in Canada & six
other countries. The primary objective is to help families & their
lesbian & gay members to understand & love one another, and to
offer support when needed.